Convertible humidifier

ABSTRACT

A convertible humidifier that includes a base portion that produces mist, a control panel that controls the production of the mist by the base portion, a reservoir, detachably connectable to the base portion, which holds water to be used by the base portion to produce the mist, and a nozzle configured to direct the mist. The reservoir includes a pass-through connection that allows the mist produced by the base portion to be directed to an opening on a top surface of the reservoir. The nozzle is detachably connected to the opening on the top surface in a first operation mode, and the nozzle is detachably connected to an extending portion, which is detachably connected to the opening on the top surface, in a second operation mode.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a non-provisional patent application of pending U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 61/704,143, filed Sep. 21, 2012, the entirecontents of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a convertible humidifier that isconfigured to humidify an area from the floor or an elevated space, suchas a tabletop or desk.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Humidifiers provide humidity to a room or a given area near thehumidifier. Typically, humidifiers are designed to be placed in oneparticular type of place. For example, humidifiers that are designed tobe placed on a floor have a set height to provide humidity from theground to the desired level. Likewise, humidifiers that are designed tobe placed on an elevated surface, such as a table or desk, have adifferent height than a floor humidifier to provide humidity from theelevated surface to a desired level. However, floor humidifiers andhumidifiers for elevated surfaces cannot readily exchange locations andprovide humidity at a desired level.

Accordingly, it is desirable to provide one humidifier that can be usedat multiple locations and still provide humidity at a desired level.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a humidifier that can be used on anelevated surface, such as a tabletop or desk, and on the floor. Adetachable extending portion allows the humidifier to be converted froma tabletop or desktop humidifier into a floor standing humidifier. Thedetachable extending portion allows the humidity produced by thehumidifier to be released at an increased height that puts themoisturizing mist where a user needs it for use throughout a room.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a convertible humidifierincludes a base portion that produces mist, a control panel thatcontrols the production of the mist by the base portion, a reservoirdetachably connectable to the base portion, which holds water to be usedby the base portion to produce the mist, and a nozzle configured todirect the mist. The reservoir includes a pass-through connection thatallows the mist produced by the base portion to be directed to anopening on a top surface of the reservoir, the nozzle is detachablyconnected to the opening on the top surface in a first operation mode,and the nozzle is detachably connected to an extending portion, which isdetachably connected to the opening on the top surface, in a secondoperation mode.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, an embodiment of thepresent invention in order that the detailed description thereof hereinmay be better understood, and in order that the present contribution tothe art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additionalembodiments of the present invention that will be described below andwhich will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of thepresent invention in detail, it is to be understood that the presentinvention is not limited in its application to the details ofconstruction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in thefollowing description or illustrated in the drawings. The presentinvention is capable of embodiments in addition to those described andof being practice and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to beunderstood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as wellas the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not beregarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conceptionupon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basisfor the designing of other structures, method, and systems for carryingout the several purposes of the present invention. It is important,therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalentconstructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front plan view of the base portion according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the base portion according to an embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front plan view of the control panel according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front plan view of the reservoir according to an embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side plan view of the reservoir according to an embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the reservoir according to an embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 7 is another bottom plan view of the reservoir according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a front plan view of the nozzle according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 9 is a side plan view of the nozzle according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 10 is a front plan view of the convertible humidifier in a firstoperation mode according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the convertible humidifier in a secondoperation mode according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a front plan view of the convertible humidifier in the secondoperation mode according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a front plan view of the extending portion according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a top plan view of the reservoir according to an embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a bottom plan view of the base portion according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a bottom perspective view of the tank cap according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a top perspective view of the tank cap according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is another perspective view of the tank cap according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the base portion according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a schematic of the electronics housed in the base portionaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are merelyrepresentative for purposes of describing example embodiments of thepresent invention. This invention may, however, be embodied in manyalternate forms and should not be construed as limited to only theembodiments set forth herein.

Accordingly, while example embodiments of the invention are capable ofvarious modifications and alternative forms, embodiments thereof areshown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described indetail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intent tolimit example embodiments of the invention to the particular formsdisclosed, but on the contrary, example embodiments of the invention areto cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling withinthe scope of the invention. As used herein, the term “and/or” includesany and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of exampleembodiments of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,”“an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unlessthe context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understoodthat the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and/or“including,” if used herein, specify the presence of stated features,integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do notpreclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groupsthereof.

The invention will now be described with reference to the drawingfigures, in which like reference numerals refer to like partsthroughout.

An embodiment in accordance with the present invention provides aconvertible humidifier that can be used on an elevated surface, such asa tabletop or desk, and on the floor. A detachable extending portionallows the humidifier to be converted from a tabletop or desktophumidifier into a floor standing humidifier. The detachable extendingportion allows the humidity produced by the humidifier to be released atan increased height that puts the moisturizing mist where a user needsit for use throughout a room.

FIGS. 10, 11, and 12 show views of a convertible humidifier 10 inaccordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Theconvertible humidifier 10 includes a base portion 20, a control panel60, a reservoir 30, a detachable extending portion 40, and a nozzle 50.In the present embodiment, the base portion 20 includes the controlpanel 60. However, the control panel 60 may be included in the reservoir30 or be a separate unit, such as a wired or wireless remote control.

In this exemplary embodiment, as show in FIGS. 1, 2, 15, 19, and 20, thebase portion 20 houses electronics 200 used by the convertiblehumidifier 10 that produce mist and the electronics 200 used by thecontrol panel to control the production of mist. The base portion 20 isconnected to a power source (not shown) to provide power to theelectronic components 200 of the convertible humidifier 10. According tothis embodiment, the base portion 20 produces mist by ultrasonicnebulization, but any other known mist producing method may also beused.

As also shown in FIGS. 2, 15, and 19, the base portion 20 includes thecontrol panel 60 and a mist producing unit 27. The base portion 20 mayalso include a humidistat 80 for determining the ambient humidity in thesurrounding environment, a water sensor 90 for determining whether wateris present in the reservoir 30 of the convertible humidifier 10, an airoutlet 160 that assists in the flow of mist from the base portion 20,and/or a speaker 100 for providing audible information. The base portion20 may also include an engaging member 25 which makes contact with amovable membrane 125 of a tank cap 120, as discussed below.

The air outlet 160 may include a fan 180 that assists in the control ofthe flow of mist from the base portion 20 and through the reservoir 30.The fan of the air outlet 160 may be controlled by the control panel 60.

As shown in FIG. 20, the electronics 200 housed in the base portion 20may include a processor 170 and a memory 175. The processor 170 andmemory 175 are electronically connected to the mist producing unit 27,the control panel 60, humidistat 80, water sensor 90, speaker 100, andfan 180. The processor 170 and memory 175 control the operation of theconvertible humidifier 10 and execute the various functions of theconvertible humidifier 10, as discussed below.

As shown in FIG. 3, control panel 60 is used for operation of theconvertible humidifier 10. The control panel 60 may include a display 70for the displaying of information about the convertible humidifier 10and one or more buttons 75 for operation of the convertible humidifier10. Functions of the one or more buttons 75 include the ability to turnon and turn off the convertible humidifier 10, delay the start of theconvertible humidifier 10, automatically turn off the convertiblehumidifier 10, control the output level of mist of the convertiblehumidifier 10, set a relative humidity level desired, and dim thedisplay 70.

A delay start function allows programming of the convertible humidifier10 to turn on automatically. By using the one or more buttons 75 on thecontrol panel 60, a user may enter the time, which may be displayed onthe display 70. Once the delay start time is entered, the convertiblehumidifier 10 may provide acknowledgement of the entry by, for example,flashing the delay start time on the display 70, beeping from a speaker100 that is provided in the base portion 20, or both. The display 70 mayalso show a countdown time until the convertible humidifier 10 turns on.

An automatic turn off (auto-off) function allows programming of theconvertible humidifier 10 to turn off automatically. By using the one ormore buttons 75 on the control panel 60, a user may enter the time,which may be displayed on the display 70. Once the auto-off time isentered, the convertible humidifier 10 may provide acknowledgement ofthe entry by, for example, flashing the auto-off time on the display 70,beeping from a speaker 100 that is provided in the base portion 20, orboth. The display 70 may also show a countdown time until theconvertible humidifier 10 turns off. The delay start function andauto-off function may also be used in conjunction with one another.

A mist output function allows programming of the output level of mist ofthe convertible humidifier 10. By using the one or more buttons 75 onthe control panel 60, a user increase and decrease the amount of mistproduced by the convertible humidifier 10. The air outlet 160 increasesthe air flow from the base portion 20 as the desired output level ofmist increases. The air flow from air outlet 160 allows the mistproduced by the base portion to be direct through the reservoir 30.

The convertible humidifier 10 may have a low setting, a medium setting,a high setting, a supreme setting, and a turbo setting, which can be setby using the one or more buttons 75. In one embodiment of the presentinvention the turbo setting may have a default operational setting wherethe convertible humidifier 10 outputs mist at the highest level for apredetermined period of time, and then output mist at the next highestlevel (supreme setting) after the predetermined period of time haselapsed. Further, the default operational setting may prevent the use ofthe highest level (turbo setting) for a predetermined period of time.

A relative humidity level function allows programming of the convertiblehumidifier 10 to turn off and turn on automatically to maintain apredetermined humidity. By using the one or more buttons 75 on thecontrol panel 60, a user may enter a desired humidity level, which maybe displayed on the display 70. Once the desired humidity level isentered, the convertible humidifier 10 may provide acknowledgement ofthe entry by, for example, flashing the desired humidity level on thedisplay 70, beeping from a speaker 100 that is provided in the baseportion 20, or both. The display 70 may also alternate between showingthe ambient humidity in the surrounding environment and the desiredhumidity level. The humidistat 80 is used to determine the ambienthumidity in the surrounding environment of the convertible humidifier10. The ambient humidity determined by the humidistat 80 is comparedwith the desired humidity level. If the ambient humidity and the desiredhumidity are about the same, the convertible humidifier automaticallyturns off. When the ambient humidity and the desired humidity differ bya predetermined amount, the convertible humidifier 10 automaticallyturns on.

A dim function allows the display 70 of the convertible humidifier 10 tobe turned off and turned on during operation of the convertiblehumidifier 10. By using the one or more buttons 75 on the control panel60, a user may press a dim function button to turn off the display 70,and may press any of the one or more buttons 75 to turn on the display70.

An automatic safety shut-off function allows for the convertiblehumidifier 10 to automatically turn the mist production off when thewater sensor 90 determines that there is no water present. Theconvertible humidifier 10 may also turn off completely when the watersensor 90 determines that there is no water present. If the water sensor90 determines that there is no water present, the display 70 may alsoindicate that there is no water present. The speaker 100 may alsoprovide audible information about the waterless state of the reservoir30 by beeping.

FIGS. 4, 5, 6, 7, and 14 show views of the reservoir 30 of theconvertible humidifier 10 in accordance with one exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention. The reservoir 30 holds water used by the baseportion 20 to produce mist, and the reservoir 30 is detachable from thebase portion 20. The reservoir 30 includes a tank 110, the tank cap 120,and a pass-through connection 130. The tank 110, as shown in FIGS. 16and 17, of reservoir 30 holds the water for use by the base portion 20to produce mist. Tank cap 120 is removable from the tank 110 and allowsfor easy filling of water into the tank 110. Tank cap 120 may also beused in supplying base portion 20 with water when reservoir 30 isconnected to base portion 20. As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the tank cap120 may include a movable membrane 125 that when contacted to theengaging member 25 of base portion 20 allows water to from the tank 110to the base portion 20. The moveable membrane 125 may be kept in asealed position by a spring 126 or other retaining method when thereservoir 30 is not connected to the base portion 20. When the reservoir30 is connected to the base portion 20, the spring 126 comes in contactwith the engaging member 25 of the base portion 20 and the movablemembrane 125 opens to allow the flow of water to the base portion 20.

As showing in FIG. 18, a detachable filter 140 may also be removablyconnected to tank cap 120 to filter the water used by the base portion20 in production of mist. The detachable filter 140 may be a permanentfilter or a replaceable filter. The detachable filter 140 may also be anantibacterial filter, a demineralization, an antibacterial anddemineralization filter, or any other known water type filters.

The reservoir 30 may also be provided with a handle 160 a on a topsurface 35. The handle 160 a may be used to assist in attaching anddetaching of the reservoir 30 from the base portion 20 to ensure a goodconnection between the reservoir 30 and the base portion 20. As show inFIGS. 4 and 5, the handle 160 a may also be built into the top surface35 of the reservoir 30 and hingedly connect with the reservoir 30 inorder to be stored on the top surface 35 when not in use. A handle 160 bmay also be provided on a bottom surface 36 of the reservoir 30. Handle160 b may be used when filling the tank 110 with water.

As also shown in FIGS. 6, 7, and 14, the reservoir 30 includes thepass-through connection 130. The pass-through connection 130 allows themist produced by the base portion 20 to be directed (flow) through thereservoir 30 to opening 150 on the top surface 35 of the reservoir 30where the mist exits the convertible humidifier 10. A fan provided inair outlet 160 assists in the flow of mist produced in the base portion30 through the pass-through connection 130. When the convertiblehumidifier 10 is in the second operation mode, the flow of mistcontinues through the extending portion 40. FIG. 13 shows a view ofextending portion 40.

FIG. 10 shows a first operation mode in which nozzle 50 is connected toopening 150 on the top surface 35. When in the first operation mode, theconvertible humidifier 10 may be used on elevated surfaces, such as atabletop or a desktop, to provide mist at a user desired location andlevel. Nozzle 50 is removable from the opening 150. When in the firstoperational mode, mist produce in the base portion 20 is directedthrough pass-through connection 130 and out of nozzle 50.

FIGS. 11 and 12 show a second operation mode in which extending portion40 is connected to opening 150 on the top surface 35 and nozzle 50 isconnected to extending portion 40. When in the second operation mode,the convertible humidifier 10 may be used on lower surfaces, such as afloor, while being able to provide mist at a user desired location andlevel. The same nozzle 50 from the first operation mode may be used withthe extending portion 40. When in the second operational mode, mistproduce in the base portion 20 is directed through pass-throughconnection 130, through extending portion 40, and out of nozzle 50.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, nozzle 50 is configured to direct the mist toa desired location. Once the nozzle 50 is detachably connected to theopening 150 in a first operation mode or to the extending portion 40 inthe second operation mode, a plurality of movable nozzle openings 55 maybe configured to direct the flow of mist in a plurality of directions.The moveable nozzle openings 55 may be configured to direct mist insubstantially the same direction, as shown in FIG. 9. The moveablenozzle openings 55 may be configured to direct mist in a plurality ofdifferent directions, as shown in FIG. 8.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the electronics 200determines when the convertible humidifier 10 is in the first mode orwhen in the second mode by, for example, detecting the connection of theextending portion 40 to the reservoir 30. When the second mode, the mistoutput may increase to the turbo setting automatically. In analternative embodiment, the mist output may remain at the current mistoutput setting until a user manual sets the mist output function afterthe convertible humidifier 10 is detected to be in the second mode. Inanother embodiment of the present invention, the detection of theambient humidity by the humidistat 80 is adjusted, when the electronics200 detects the convertible humidifier 10 is in the second mode, inorder to compensate for the increased distance of the mist output fromthe humidistat 80.

The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from thedetailed specification, and thus, it is intended by the appended claimsto cover all such features and advantages of the invention which fallwithin the true spirit and scope of the invention. Further, sincenumerous modifications and variations will readily occur to thoseskilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to theexact construction and operation illustrated and described, andaccordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resortedto, falling within the scope of the invention.

1-19. (canceled)
 20. A humidifier, comprising: a base portion includingan ultrasonic mist generator; a fluid reservoir configured to hold fluidto be used by the ultrasonic mist generator, the fluid reservoirincluding a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein the top surfacecomprises an opening and the bottom surface comprises a tank cap and apass-through connection, the fluid reservoir being removably connectedto the base portion such that fluid in the fluid reservoir is deliveredto the base portion through the tank cap, wherein the fluid is convertedto a mist by the ultrasonic mist generator and then delivered throughthe pass-through connection toward the opening on the top surface of thefluid reservoir; and an elongated tube comprising a first end and asecond end; wherein the humidifier is configured to operate in a firstor a second operation mode, wherein in the first operation mode, theelongated tube is not attached to the humidifier; and in the secondoperation mode, the first end of the elongated tube is directly attachedto the opening on the top surface of the reservoir such that theelongated tube extends above a top end of the fluid reservoir.
 21. Thehumidifier of claim 20, further comprising a nozzle attached to thesecond end of the elongated tube for disbursing the mist in the secondoperation mode.
 22. The humidifier of claim 21, wherein the nozzle isremovable.
 23. The humidifier of claim 21, wherein the removable nozzleis directly attached to the opening on the top surface of the fluidreservoir in the first operation mode when the elongated tube is notattached to the humidifier.
 24. The humidifier of claim 21, wherein theremovable nozzle is selectively attached either to the second end of theelongated tube when the elongated tube extends above the top end of thefluid reservoir or to the opening on the top surface of the fluidreservoir when the elongated tube is not attached to the humidifier. 25.The humidifier of claim 20, further comprising a control panel forcausing the ultrasonic mist generator to produce the mist.
 26. Thehumidifier of claim 25, wherein the control panel comprises a mistvolume production control for regulating mist volume produced by theultrasonic mist generator and distributed through the opening on the topsurface of the fluid reservoir.
 27. The humidifier of claim 25, whereinthe control panel comprises a mist flow control for regulating mist flowvelocity of the mist produced by the ultrasonic mist generator.
 28. Thehumidifier of claim 27, wherein the control panel comprises a humiditylevel control for monitoring ambient humidity outside the humidifier forcausing the mist flow control to selectively increase and decrease mistvelocity in combination with the mist volume production control toselectively increase and decrease mist volume to achieve desiredhumidity levels.
 29. The humidifier of claim 21, wherein the removablenozzle has at least two openings for directing mist.
 30. The humidifierof claim 29, wherein the at least two openings are each selectively andindependently rotatable around a longitudinal axis of the removablenozzle.
 31. The humidifier of claim 20, wherein a length of theelongated tube from the first end to the second end is greater than orequal to a height of the base portion.
 32. The humidifier of claim 20,wherein a combined length of the elongated tube from the first end tothe second end with the removable nozzle attached to the second end ofthe elongated tube is greater than or equal to a height of the baseportion.
 33. A humidifier, comprising: a base portion including anultrasonic mist generator; a fluid reservoir configured to hold fluid tobe used by the ultrasonic mist generator, the fluid reservoir includinga top surface and a bottom surface, wherein the top surface comprises anopening and the bottom surface comprises a tank cap and a pass-throughconnection, the fluid reservoir being removably connected to the baseportion such that fluid in the fluid reservoir is delivered to the baseportion through the tank cap, wherein the fluid is converted to a mistby the ultrasonic mist generator and then delivered through thepass-through connection toward the opening on the top surface of thefluid reservoir; and an elongated tube comprising a first end and asecond end, wherein the first end of the elongated tube is directlyattached to the opening on the top surface of the fluid reservoir suchthat the elongated tube extends above a top end of the fluid reservoir.34. The humidifier of claim 33, wherein the elongated tube is removable.35. The humidifier of claim 33, further comprising a nozzle attached tothe second end of the elongated tube.
 36. The humidifier of claim 35,wherein the nozzle is removable.
 37. The humidifier of claim 35, whereinthe nozzle is rotatable.